Since the earliest days of astronomy, since the time of Galileo, astronomers have shared a single goal — to see more, see farther, see deeper.
The Hubble Space Telescope's launch in 1990 sped humanity to one of its greatest advances in that journey. Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth. Its position above the atmosphere, which distorts and blocks the light that reaches our planet, gives it a view of the universe that typically far surpasses that of ground-based telescopes.
Hubble is one of NASA's most successful and long-lasting science missions. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy.
Hubble Facts
Manufacturer: Lockheed Size13.3 m long, 4.3 m diameter Length: 43.5 ft (13.2 m)Weight: 24,500 lb (11,110 kg) Maximum Diameter: 14 ft (4.2 m) Orbit: 590 km circular, 28.5 deg inclination Time to Complete One Orbit: 97 minutes Speed: 17,500 mph (28,000 kph) First Image: May 20, 1990: Star Cluster NGC 3532 Design Life: Designed for a 15 year life with on-orbit servicing. 1st Servicing Mission: December 1993 2nd Servicing Mission: February 1997 3rd Servicing Mission: December 1999 4th Servicing Mission: December 2001
Hubble Space Telescope
An image of HubbleHubbles description
Since the earliest days of astronomy, since the time of Galileo, astronomers have shared a single goal — to see more, see farther, see deeper.
The Hubble Space Telescope's launch in 1990 sped humanity to one of its greatest advances in that journey. Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth. Its position above the atmosphere, which distorts and blocks the light that reaches our planet, gives it a view of the universe that typically far surpasses that of ground-based telescopes.
Hubble is one of NASA's most successful and long-lasting science missions. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy.
Hubble Facts
Manufacturer: Lockheed
Size13.3 m long, 4.3 m diameter Length: 43.5 ft (13.2 m) Weight: 24,500 lb (11,110 kg)
Maximum Diameter: 14 ft (4.2 m)
Orbit: 590 km circular, 28.5 deg inclination
Time to Complete One Orbit: 97 minutes
Speed: 17,500 mph (28,000 kph)
First Image: May 20, 1990: Star Cluster NGC 3532
Design Life: Designed for a 15 year life with on-orbit servicing.
1st Servicing Mission: December 1993
2nd Servicing Mission: February 1997
3rd Servicing Mission: December 1999
4th Servicing Mission: December 2001